The project

The growth of oil and gas production in the Eagle Ford Shale area of south Texas required the strengthening of the existing electric infrastructure to serve this new demand and avoid potential outages. To this end, AEP Texas identified that new 69kV transmission lines were needed between substations located near the towns of Kenedy and Tuleta, Texas. The right of way spanned various terrains and remote areas.

The challenge

The project required large diameter anchor bolts and direct embed foundations. The geotechnical conditions for drilling varied from loose sands to very hard rock. Multiple road crossings and undulating terrain also posed challenges. The travel times for ready mix concrete from batching to placing were excessive.

The solution

Seaboard Foundations closely coordinated with the general contractor and the owner to develop a work plan specific to each foundation location with its unique challenges. One location required working within the confines of an active prison. Drilled shafts with anchor bolts and direct embed foundations were constructed to support the transmission towers. Volumetric batching for concrete was used to eliminate concerns for travel time between batching and placing concrete.